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Today, Portugal attracts a wide range of foreign students from all over the world with high-quality educational services and interesting culture. Many international students choose studying in Portugal as it's a great opportunity to combine effective courses with exciting rest. SMAPSE offers TOP-10 prestigious primary and secondary schools located in Portugal where international students can get high-quality and balanced primary and secondary education.
Please, don't hesitate to contact SMAPSE experts as they are always ready to answer all your questions.
Traditional education system in Portugal involves studying English and Portuguese. This applies both to local residents and to foreign students from other countries. To ensure that secondary education in Portugal is affordable and convenient for foreign students, international language schools and centers offer programs with different levels of difficulty - from beginning to advanced. This gives foreign students an opportunity, after completing studying, to know two foreign languages well.
Studying in Portugal has several advantages:
In general, secondary school education in Portugal begins from 5-6 years - pre-school education. Young students go on to the stage of primary education, which lasts 4 years. To receive basic secondary education in Portuguese schools, foreign students need to unlearn another 5 years after completing the initial stage.
Students at 7-9 grades will have a fairly wide list of academic subjects to study:
1) Mandatory:
2) Additional
After successfully completing this course and passing exams, students receive a prestigious IGCSE diploma of incomplete secondary education, and can continue their studies at the IB and A-level programs, more complex and advanced.
Although the local education system is European, it is not obligatory to receive early specialization at the secondary level in Portugal - there is a higher secondary level for this, which not everyone chooses. It is a three-year course in one of the areas - general education, technology and professional.
Format |
Age of students |
Duration |
Cost |
9+ |
2 weeks |
from 550 € / week |
|
12+ |
from 1 to 12 weeks |
from 500 € / week |
|
Secondary education |
6+ |
1-12 years old |
from 27800 € |
University preparation |
16+ |
1 year |
from 4500 € / year |
Undergraduate |
17+ |
3 years |
from 999 € / year |
Master |
20+ |
2 years |
from 1500 € / year |
As for tuition fees, in Portugal prices are lower than in most European countries - rental housing, lunch in a cafe, the tuition itself and other expenses. Life in the capital will cost students about 500-800 € for one month - and this is the total cost for all items of expenses! Thus, studying in Portugal, even for a long period of time, will not hit the pocket very much, and investment in education will be effective and fruiful.
Name | Meaning | Equivalent | Min. age | Duration, years |
Next stage | Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GCSE | General certificate of secondary education | secondary education (non-accomplished) | 14 | 1–2 | A-Levels | 15,000 USD+ |
A-Levels | Advanced level | secondary education (accomplished) | 16 | 2 | University | 15,000 USD+ |
BTEC | Business and Technology Education Board | secondary special education | 14 | 2–3 | University/ work | 15,000 USD+ |
Oxbridge Preparation | Preparing for Oxford and Cambridge | secondary education (accomplished) | 17 | 1 | University | 15,000 USD+ |
International Baccalaureate | International baccalaureate | secondary education (accomplished) | 16 | 2 | University | 18,000 USD+ |
Foundation/ Pathway Year | Preparatory year | admission to the 1st year of university | 17 | 1 | University | 14,000 USD+ |
NCUK | The Northern consortium | 2 year university | 17,5 | 1 | 2 year University of NCUK | 13,000 USD+ |
Special Preparation (Medics/Math/Business) | Specialized training | - | 14 | optional | optional | 4,000 USD+ |
Academic English | Academic English | Language school | 8 + | 6–12 months | School or University | 8,000 USD+ |
Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|
The opportunity to enter the best universities in England, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Europe, the world | Expensive |
High quality of education and academic standards | Strong workload |
Perfect English after graduation | The need to change the social environment; it takes time to adapt |
Useful contacts | The difficulty of choosing the most suitable school for the child, requires a qualified specialist |